peran penting evaporator terhadap turunnya kinerja fresh water generator di atas kapal sm albatross

Abstract

A Fresh water generator is one of the auxiliary systems on board a ship that produces fresh water to meet the ship’s operational needs and those of the crew. This system operates on the principle of evaporating seawater under vacuum conditions and condensing it to produce fresh water. This study aims to analyze the causes of and measures to address the declining performance of the Fresh water generator on board the SM Albatross. The research method used is a qualitative approach with triangulation techniques through observation, interviews, and documentation during the sea training. The research findings indicate that the drop in ejector pump pressure from 3.5 bar to 2 bar caused by the pump filter becoming clogged with seawater debris and the formation of salt deposits (scaling) on the evaporator plates was the primary cause of the decline in freshwater production. Mitigation efforts were carried out by periodically cleaning the ejector pump filter to restore system pressure and vacuum, as well as cleaning the evaporator plates using a scraper to remove salt scale that hinders the heat transfer process. The conclusion of this study confirms that the optimization of the Fresh water generator’s performance is significantly influenced by the implementation of routine maintenance in accordance with the Planned Maintenance System (PMS), monitoring of operational parameters, and the cleanliness of key components to ensure the smooth production of fresh water and support the ship’s continuous operations.